An unlikely new love
by TheHumbleFellow
Summary: Entry for Moogiuh's Obscure and Strange Sonic Pairings Competition.  After Tails feels the bitter sting of rejection, he finds a new love from a surprising source.  TailsxVanilla.  Rated T to be on the safe side.


**Wow. It's been a while since I submitted something here.**

**Recently, I've been trying to get back into writing fanfics. I've spent most of my time suffering from that most dangerous ailment: Writer's Block. (Though I'm sure playing Team Fortress 2 for hours on end had something to do with it. But I digress.)**

**When I heard about Moogiuh's Obscure and Strange Sonic Pairings Competition, I decided that this would help me get back into writing. This was kind of written within an afternoon, so it might seem a little bit rushed, but I think I did okay.**

**Just a quick heads up: Tails is going to be eighteen in this fic. It had to be that way so as to not make Vanilla look like a pervert. She's far too nice for that sort of image.**

**Anyways, lets get on with it.**

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It was a beautiful day that day. The sort of day where you might see swallows drifting overhead. Butterflies danced around small clusters of flowers, and the sound of the nearby river completed the atmosphere with its relaxing tone.

But, no matter how good the day was, it wouldn't have been able to raise the spirit of the teenage fox sitting in the shade of a small tree, his legs folded against his chest, and his head resting lazily on his knees.

Miles "Tails" Prower, famed throughout the world as a mechanical wizard, was suffering the worst depression of his life. To him, the natural beauty the day was providing might as well have been a murky, dreary night. It was like the colour had been removed by some strange form of magic, leaving the landscape dull and grey.

It had started out as a good day for him. After a morning of tinkering with his plane, he went on a visit to the city. This visit found him in the company of his close friend, Cream. For the past few months, Tails had been feeling something for the floppy eared rabbit. The feeling was foreign to him; a strange sensation where his stomach felt like it was doing flip-flops. After describing it to Sonic, he learned that he was falling in love.

Today, he decided it was time to tell her how he felt. He had been suppressing it for too long now, and he needed to express his feelings to her, otherwise, he felt like he would explode.

Sadly, the response he got was not the one he wanted to hear. A sad look from Cream, followed by words that would haunt him... "_I'm sorry, Tails. But... I don't feel that way..._"

Ever since then, he had been under this tree, wondering what he had done wrong. Did he say it in the wrong way? Was it something he had done beforehand? Could it have had anything to do with the way he looked?

All of these questions were circling around his head. But no answers came. Just the sad truth that he had fallen for a girl who didn't love him in return.

Tails felt a tear form in the corner of his eye. He wiped it away quickly, trying not to let anymore come up. He was too old for that now. He was eighteen, practically a young adult. Surely, crying was beyond him now, right?

Obviously, this was not the case, as more tears soon welled up. Nothing he could do could stop them from leaking out. He had hit a low point in his life, and those tears were expressing it.

"Tails?"

Upon hearing the soft, feminine voice just above him, he sharply tilted his head up. For a moment, he thought that it was Cream, here to say that she had changed her mind and did love him after all.

But after a brief moment of hope, it was dashed again. It wasn't Cream. It was her mother, Vanilla, looking over him with a worried expression.

"Is everything alright, dear?"

Quickly wiping away his tears, Tails stood up, trying his best to put on a smile, his voice cracked a little as he spoke. "Yeah... I-I'm fine."

Vanilla's expression didn't change. "I heard about what happened."

Tails' face fell. Of course she would know. Nothing could be divulged to Cream without Vanilla hearing about it.

Almost before he knew it, Tails completely broke down, his hands and knees on the grass beneath him, his eyes now letting the tears flow freely.

"Why doesn't she love me? I never did anything wrong... I always treated her nicely... I never fell out with her... What did I do wrong?"

For a minute or two, the only sound to be heard between the two of them was Tails' soft sobbing. He felt like an idiot, breaking down like this in front of Vanilla. But he couldn't contain himself anymore.

Eventually, he felt a soft pair of hands hold his shoulders and lift him gently back to his feet.

"Come on. Let's get you inside."

Silently, Tails let those hands guide him as he felt his legs start walking on impulse. He didn't really know where he was going. All he knew was that someone was there for him...

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After several minutes of walking, Tails felt himself be lowered down onto something soft and comfortable. As he finally opened his eyes, he realised that he was in Vanilla's house. The mother rabbit walked up to him with a glass of lemonade, her warm, caring eyes showing pity.

"Don't worry, Tails. You'll be okay. All you need is a little time."

After being handed the lemonade, Tails took a quick sip before speaking again. "I just don't understand what happened... Me and Cream have been getting along great for years... Why shouldn't she feel the same way as I do?"

Vanilla sat down next to the depressed fox, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I think it's _because_ you've known each other for years that's the problem."

Tails looked up, his eyes meeting Vanilla's. "I don't understand... What do you mean?"

"Tails." Vanilla explained, "Cream and you have been friends ever since you were children. And that may be it. I know Cream well enough to understand how she thinks. She must think that because you two have been friends for so long, going further than that would be strange to her. Making the jump from friend to lover isn't an easy one."

Tails thought about this. And the more he thought, the more he understood. He and Cream had known each other for ten years now. The two of them had formed a bond like that of a brother and sister. Maybe what he had felt towards her recently was just a passing infatuation. It made him feel guilty that he had almost compromised the perfect friendship they had over a silly little crush. But still... If there wasn't Cream, who was there for him?

"I guess so..." He finally replied.

Vanilla gently cupped her hand under Tails' chin, smiling a warm, caring smile. "Don't worry, Tails. There are lots of other girls out there. One day, I'm sure you'll meet one who will be crazy for you. You're too nice to not find one."

For the first time since his rejection earlier that day, Tails smiled. A small smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Thank you, Miss Vanilla. You always know what to say."

"Anytime, dear."

Suddenly, before Tails could do or say anything else, he felt Vanilla's soft lips embrace his forehead. The feeling was remarkable, almost like an angel had kissed him. His heart started racing, and he felt blood rush to his face, causing his cheeks to tingle.

As Vanilla pulled away and went into the kitchen, Tails was left alone on the couch. All of a sudden, the sorrow he felt before had vanished. Now, he felt his stomach doing flip-flops again. This time though, it felt much stronger than before. It was the same feeling he had for the past few months when he thought about Cream. But this time, it was about someone else. All of a sudden, Tails' thoughts started drifting. But instead of Cream, he was thinking about Vanilla. Could he...? No, he couldn't... Could he?

The more he thought, the more he realised. Somehow, with one little kiss, he had fallen for Cream's mother! In no time at all, he was fantasising about the older rabbit working in the kitchen right now. Her caring nature... Her soft, soothing voice... Her beautiful, chocolate brown eyes... Her long ears... Her delicate fur... He couldn't stop thinking about her if he tried.

But at the same time, it felt wrong as well... Vanilla was an older woman. He wasn't sure, but he guessed that she must be at least fifteen years older than he was. She had already gotten married previously, (Though to who, Tails had no idea.) and also had a daughter. A sixteen year old daughter at that. The same daughter who had turned him down only hours before.

What Vanilla said was most likely true: There were lots of other girls out there. Girls more his age. But he couldn't just leave things at this. He was feeling something strong. Much stronger than what he felt for Cream. But after what happened earlier, could he take another heartbreak?

It took some time before he came to a decision. Vanilla would most likely say no to him. But at this point, he didn't care what happened. The mother rabbit had renewed him somehow. If he was rejected again, he would go out and find the right girl for him. One who truly loved him. But for now, he had something he needed to get off his chest...

Standing up, Tails walked into the kitchen, seeing the object of his desire rubbing down the countertop with a cloth. She was humming a small tune to herself, which highlighted her heavenly voice. Taking a moment to gaze at her with adoration, Tails knew that it was time. He cleared his throat slightly, causing the mother rabbit to turn to face him.

"Oh, Tails. Do you want some more lemonade?"

"No thank you." Tails politely denied, "I want to talk to you about something."

Vanilla had a curious expression as the teenage fox walked towards her. The pair were standing fairly close together now, so much so that Tails could faintly see the fine strands of fur around her face.

"Miss Vanilla..." Tails began, feeling a little awkward about what he was about to do. "I wanted to thank you for helping me today."

"Oh, that's okay, Tails." Vanilla replied with a smile. "There will be another girl out there for you. You'll see."

"Actually... That's what I wanted to talk to you about..." Tails continued, gazing into Vanilla's gorgeous eyes as he did so. "I know it's so soon, but... I think I already have another girl in mind..."

"Really? That _was_ quick!" Vanilla noted with surprise. "Who's the lucky girl?"

Tails gulped. It was now or never... He took a deep breath, and spoke with his heart...

"It's you. Vanilla, I think I've fallen for you..."

The reaction was instantaneous. Vanilla's eyes widened and her hands shot to her mouth, covering it. The cloth she was holding fell silently to the floor. After a few moments of shock, she finally replied, her voice trembling. "You... You really mean... Tails, I... I don't know what to say..."

"I know what you're thinking..." Tails solemnly continued, "That it would never work between us, or that you're not interested in me... I'm sorry I wasted your time..."

He turned to leave, thinking it would be best if they didn't speak to each other for a while.

But he was stopped by a hand grabbing his arm. Before he knew it, he had been spun around to face Vanilla again.

"Then I guess you don't know me that well..."

And suddenly, he felt one arm wrapped around his back, another around his neck, his chest pressed up against hers... And soft lips locked with his own.

He couldn't believe it... She had accepted him...

For a few moments, he was completely frozen. Then, he eventually softened, closed his eyes, and returned the kiss, placing his hands on her slender hips. This was an unbelievable feeling. Nothing he had ever felt so far was comparing to this. Vanilla wasn't forceful or demanding, she just gently caressed his lips with hers, pressing and stroking. After several minutes, the two finally parted, gazing longingly into each other's eyes.

"You... You feel the same way?" Tails finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"It's something I've been thinking about for a while now..." Vanilla confessed, her eyes glistening with tears. "I've watched you grow up over the years, Tails. You were always selfless and caring. And you always looked after my daughter when she needed someone, but I wasn't there. And now, you've grown into such a handsome young man. You remind me so much of my late husband..."

Tails could only smile and stare at her, the older woman who was returning his feelings. "Oh, Vanilla... You don't know how happy you've made me feel. But... What will the others think? What will Cream think? When we tell them that we're..."

Vanilla placed a delicate finger on his lips, gently silencing him. "No one else needs to know yet. We can keep it our little secret for now. When we feel that we're ready, we can explain everything to them. But for now, I think we need to get to know each other a little better..."

Tails smiled, gently caressing her cheek. "Agreed."

They embraced, rocking each other gently. Then, they wrapped their fingers around each other's hands, and walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs to Vanilla's bedroom, shutting the door behind them.

Hand in hand, fox and rabbit walked towards the double bed, and gently sat down on the soft covers. Turning to face each other, all they could do was gaze into each other's eyes and bask in their love for each other.

It was Tails who decided to take it forward, as he leaned in and locked his lips with Vanilla's. He held her soft, dainty arms carefully, while feeling her hands resting against his fluffy chest. The two new lovers carried on their kissing for what seemed like hours, but was actually only a few minutes.

Sadly, the moment was interrupted by the bedside phone ringing. Tails sighed with annoyance.

"I should probably get that..." Vanilla spoke with a hint of disappointment in her voice. Turning to the bedside cabinet, she picked up the receiver, held to her floppy ear, and started speaking.

"Hello? Oh hello, Cream! Are you alright?" A brief pause followed. "Of course it's okay! Just remember the usual rules: Don't stay up too late, and make sure you listen to what Amy says. Yes, I know you're not a little girl anymore. Okay then, enjoy yourselves. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."

Vanilla placed the phone back down, and turned back to Tails, a grin showing on her angelic face. "Good news. Cream said she's going to spend the night with Amy." She leaned in closer, ready for another kiss. "We've got the rest of the day to ourselves..."

Tails gave Vanilla a quick peck on her cheek, and smiled. "I'll take whatever time we have."

And with that, the two connected lips again, carefully laying themselves down onto the bed's soft folds. Nothing could be heard from that room for the next few hours. Only the sound of lips softly smacking, and gentle sighs from both sides. They spent the rest of the day in the bedroom, kissing and cuddling each other. Nothing else mattered but their newfound love.

Eventually, as the sun gradually sank below the horizon, marking the end of a very eventful day, Vanilla slowly drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Tails stayed awake for a short while longer, simply admiring his new love interest. He was glad that he had been rejected earlier that day. Otherwise, he never would have found out where his feelings truly belonged.

He knew that he and Vanilla still had some obstacles to overcome. But he was confident that as long as they were together, they could overcome any challenge.

**The End**

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**And there we have it.**

Hopefully, you enjoyed reading this. Like I said, it might seem a wee bit rushed, but I think it's not too bad for an afternoon's work.

Leave a review if you want. Don't hesitate to point out any spelling or grammar mistakes. And hopefully I'll see you again soon.

Until the next time, this is TheHumbleFellow signing off.


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